Celebrating National Grilled Cheese day with Arla Dofino Havarti

As a kid one of my favorite lunchtime meals was grilled cheese sandwich. When I was younger my Mom would make their grilled cheese in the toaster so it should have been called toasted cheese sandwich. It wasn’t until my teenage years that I truly discovered the awesomeness of grilled cheese. My friends and I would get dropped off at a local movie theater to catch a film. After the film we would walk over to this greasy donut shop where we waited for one of our parents to pick us up. It is in this donut shop that I really tried my first authentic grilled cheese sandwich. It was made on a grill and it was greasy with melted cheese dripping out of its sides. I followed my friend’s lead and dipped it in ketchup and lets just say I was in food paradise. Later on I would experiment with adding bacon to the grilled cheese sandwich. To this day grilled cheese and bacon with side of cheese covered fries and a bowl of brown gravy for dipping is one of my top favorites. So when I learned that tomorrow April 12th is National grilled cheese sandwich day I was very excited.

As a member of the media I was invited to celebrate a National Grilled Cheese day and cheese tasting event hosted by Arla Dofino cheese.

I have met with Kelsey Banfield, the author of The Naptime Chef: Fitting Great Food into Family. Kelsey has shared her NEW recipes for making quick and easy snacks that are perfect for any casual get to-together. Whether its snacks for your book club or treats for your daughter’s soccer practice, Kelsey’s family friendly creations are sure to be a hit with everyone. AND in honor of National Grilled Cheese Day, she has demonstrated fun ways to elevate this classic favorite with some sweet and savory twists. I really enjoyed Kelsey’s delicious and fun creations made with Arla Dofino Havarti cheese.

Havarti & Pear on Sourdough and Havarti, Prosciutto and Fig Jam on Sourdough were my most favorites. Havarti cheese made one of my favorites – delicious creamy goodness! I’m going to share these 2 recipes.

Havarti and Pear Grilled Cheese

2 slices sourdough bread

1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided

2 ounces Arla Dofino Creamy Havarti cheese

½ ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced

Directions

1. Place two slices of bread side-by-side and spread the top of one with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. On the second slice, layer Arla Dofino Creamy Havarti cheese, followed by the thinly sliced pear. Close the sandwich with the buttered bread slice, butter side up.

2. Add the remaining butter in a nonstick skillet and place over medium heat. Swirl the butter so it coats the bottom of the pan. Place sandwich in skillet, with non-buttered bread side down and cook until the bread is toasted and golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the sandwich and cook the other side for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the skillet, slice and serve.

Havarti Prosciutto & Fig Grilled Cheese

2 slices sourdough bread

1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided

1 tablespoon fig jam

2 pieces thinly sliced prosciutto

1 Arla Dofino Havarti cheese slice

Directions

1. Place two slices of bread side-by-side and spread the top of one with ½ tablespoon of butter. On the second slice, spread fig jam and top it with prosciutto and cheese. Close the sandwich with the buttered bread slice, butter side up.

2. Add remaining butter in a nonstick skillet and place over medium heat. Swirl butter so it coats the bottom of the pan. Place sandwich in skillet, with non-buttered bread side down and cook until the bread is toasted and golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the sandwich and cook the other side for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the skillet, slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Now I want to know what is your favorite type of cheese and what do you put in your grilled cheese sandwich?